Caitlin Clark sported a black eye from a poke in the face by DiJonai Carrington 90 seconds into the game. It was a harbinger of what would come for her and the Fever: a 93-69 loss to WNBA champion contender Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series. It was the biggest playoff defeat in Fever history.
We should have seen this coming. This was the Fever’s first playoff appearance since 2016, not to mention this was the first playoff game ever for Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and most of the Fever players. Compare that to the Sun’s eighth straight playoff appearance and 222 playoff games in their belt to the Fever players, who boasted only 19 playoff appearances combined; that tells you the story right there.
Playoff basketball is so much different than regular-season basketball. The speed is at 120 mph, where everything goes much faster. The defensive intensity picks up, which explains Carrington’s poking Clark’s face and the Fever struggling to run in transition. There’s always a fight for the loose balls. And yes, as the series goes on, it gets more physical.
Clark scored 11 points on 4-for-17 shooting, shot 2-for-13 on the 3-point line, and had a -20 rating. She found out the WNBA playoffs are much different than the NCAA tournament. She was defended by Fever’s DeWanna Bonner and Carrington, two players who take pride in not giving in. In other words, the WNBA 2024 AP Rookie of the Year discovered that playing against grown women over young players is a different ballgame.
This explains Clark’s and Mitchell’s struggles on a 9-for-20 shooting despite a 21-point performance. Lexi Hul mustered only five points in his first playoff appearance. Boston fared better of all the first-time Fever players playing in the playoffs. She finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. It was strange to see why the Fever decided to go away from her in the second half since she was the only consistent scorer in the first half. Meanwhile, Damiris Dantas scored 12 points, giving the Fever a spark in the second quarter. She participated in eight playoff games and knew what she was doing.
It was a lesson that the Fever learned painfully, and in Clark’s case, both literally and figuratively.
The Fever showed up in the first half. They did not flinch when the Sun shot 3-pointers and went on a run as they hung around. At one point, they took a 36-34 lead in the second quarter. But things went awry for the visitors after that. The Sun finished the second quarter on a 12-2 run, giving them a 46-38 halftime lead. From there, they outscored the visitors 47-31 in the second half.
Not only did the Sun shut down the Fever’s best scorers, but they wore them down. Connecticut, the stingiest defensive team in the league, has a 94.1 defensive rating, and that’s one reason why the Sun might win it all.
All the Fever can do is hope they can survive and live for another day, but their margin of error is thin. If they can’t improve from their 40 percent shooting percentage in the next game, Indiana will be done for the season.
